Whitetail Habits

[ganderblaster]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has any info regarding deers winter locations and how far away that usually is from where you can find them in fall?I spent afair bit of time scouting in Jan. and Feb. and saw a few nice deer but I am unsure if that means anything come fall.Usually I just spend a lot of time out there without a real plan and I have a ton of fun doing it but frankly the results just haven't been there does anyone have an answer to this or any other advice as I'm always somewhat frustrated as most of the scientific studies and literture(sp)is from down south.Any good Canadian reads would also be appreciated.Thanks!

[ishootbambi]

deer density in alberta is pretty low. it is nothing for a buck to travel 10 miles in an afternoon in search of a girlfriend. anyone remember the story in big buck mag a few years ago where a bunch of american hunters took pics of a buck in the outfitters yard at 8 pm and then he was killed 25 miles away at 10 am the next morning. the best advice i can give you during the rut is to stick close to the highest concentration of does you can find in your area.

now if you bowhunt, then patterning a buck for september is a much easier task. just scout the fields at dawn and dusk to find what you want and then watch him a few days in a row until you see his habits.

dale

[nube]

I have studied this a bit. We killed a deer that scored 201" one year in camp that we saw a couple times in an area and then a week later killed it 4 miles away.
I have also gone out scouting in Jan-march for sheds and noticed that this time of year is bad to scout as you would for hunting. The deer herd up this time of year and travel a fair ways to get to the food source. I watched a buck for 2 years in the bowzone. A solid 190" deer and saw him in an area and found him later feeding in Jan and Feb 5 miles away where the rest of herd went to feed in a certain field. He did that 2 years in a row on me and then must have been poached out or died as he disapeared.
I would be safe to say that if you see him during the summer and early fall most likely he will be within a couple miles in hunting season but like Bambi stated it all depends on the deer and if he has what he needs in his area to keep him there

[ganderblaster]

Thanks! You sure know a lot in spite of the fact that you just get all those monster deer out your truck window lol!Oh ya and I forgot about your trophy wall not being the right color hehehe!(thats for ishootbambi he he)

[ganderblaster]

Thanks nube! You also have killed a ton of nice deer your advice carries a lot of weight I appreciate it.

[whitetail Junkie]

I have studied this a bit. We killed a deer that scored 201" one year in camp that we saw a couple times in an area and then a week later killed it 4 miles away.

typical or non-typ?

[nube]

Ganderblaster, it all takes time to learn. I guided whitetail hunters for about 5 years or more all month. I used my hunters in a way to help me figure out the way to be successfull. They all saw 150"+ deer by the end of the week but more importantly it was learning how to kill them after finding them. That is the hard part. The main thing i learned was to know your area well. Find an area that will produce, learn it well and the areas the deer like to be and where you can kill them. Then hunt it hard adn if you have the time to spend you will be successfull.

I am up for a trophy room makeover eh! Let me know what color it should be?
My wife is good and gives me one nice big room and hallway. It is getting crowded. My next house I build she wants to build me a trophy room to what i woudl like. I admit it woudl be nice if you guys would help me out so I get it right. I am open to suggestions anyday

[BrownBear416]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has any info regarding deers winter locations and how far away that usually is from where you can find them in fall?I spent afair bit of time scouting in Jan. and Feb. and saw a few nice deer but I am unsure if that means anything come fall.Usually I just spend a lot of time out there without a real plan and I have a ton of fun doing it but frankly the results just haven't been there does anyone have an answer to this or any other advice as I'm always somewhat frustrated as most of the scientific studies and literture(sp)is from down south.Any good Canadian reads would also be appreciated.Thanks!

I think most animals including deer move to a wintering ground after the rut has ended.If it is in field country then alot depends on what kind of crops are in.Up here in the bush the feed is mostly the same so I find the deer stay pretty much in the same general area all year.If the area has does then the buck will usually stay within 3-5 square km and just keep doing a circuit checking for hot does and also reworking his scrape lines.Since they have put out more and more doe tags I find the bucks have to travel more and more to breed and the miles they put on is quite unreal.

I think if you are planning to hunt with bow or kill one early with rifle then save your gas money for spring time as you will find the deer in the same area come fall..

If you are looking to kill a big deer in Nov it is better to concentrate on the area you want to hunt. Try getting back in the bush and look for heavy deer traffic areas,beds,scrape lines from the previous fall and of course sheds.Bucks put on a lot of miles rutting but being in an area that holds big deer will give you a chance.

[pottymouth]

Every buck is different, kinda like everyone on here. it's true what they say, from what I have seen. The monster bucks don't get that big being dumb. The whitetail antler growth thread has pics of a buck I chased. He was actually very easy to find once you knew his pattern. Year round he only showed up in 3 different properties, within 1/2 mile of each other. He never left those properties for 4 years. The most intresting part was, he was the biggest body, and rack buck around, but not the dominate buck, and actually never even chased does during the rut! he was so terrified of the 160' buck (Grumpy) who was younger, that he wouldn't even come to feed at night if grumpy was out.

The biggest factor in MY opinion is stress level, determined by Pressure. After that Cover and feed, and finally weather and girls. In my expirence, and I think blackmamba will agree, locating big whiteys and mule deer is very similar to sheep hunting. Everything has it's time and it's place, now with what you got you just have to solve the riddle!